The Most Important Thing
by Kisses on the Bottom
Summary: The most important thing for them was Kate. And the most important thing for Mal and Natara was to raise her. Because that's just what true friends do.
1. Prologue

**Ho-ly crap. Our family (as "a bit of a nerd" would say) has written more than 100 STORIES! Ok, I love y'all…so…5 reviews on this chapter and I'll tell my real name.**

**So anyway, if any of you have ever seen **_**Life As We Know It, **_**this plot is fairly similar. If you haven't, here's a fun fact: a close friend of mine was an extra in it. **

**Also, I know several of you have been on my profile and seen the 'Upcoming Stories' list. I'd like to say that I'm starting **_**Feel the Beat **_**soon. I'm a pretty big viola nerd (I play in the school orchestra) so I'd like to dedicate a piece of writing to this music fandom of mine. Anywho, if you don't know what a **_**cello **_**is, then I suggest you look it up. Although I'm sure most of you are familiar with that term.**

**Well, I'm sure you guys don't want to hear me babbling on and on before a story.**

**So…**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Cause of Death, sadly. Kate, however, is my own little creation.**

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><p>"Her name's Katherine Elise."<p>

No sooner had the words left Amy's lips before the little one started to cry out in agony. Her voice was loud and cacophonous, but soothing and melodic at the same time. Natara didn't know how that was possible, but it was. She watched as Amy gently cradled Katherine and placed her inside her crib.

"Ear infection?" Natara sighed. It was a possibility. Rare for a child that young, but not unheard of.

Amy nodded and tucked a few strands of her hair behind her ear. "Yup. I didn't know kids could get them this young. She's only twelve days old, Natara. I'm…worried."

Natara sighed and let out a small laugh. "Amy, Neha got her first ear infection ten days after she was born. My mom was scared to death, but things turned out alright. Katherine will be fine."

After a moment, Amy spoke again. "I think I'm going to call her Kate for short, actually." She nodded towards Natara as if to question for her approval.

"That's a beautiful name."

Amy let out a sigh of relief. "That's good. Kai honestly doesn't care what we call her; he's just amazed that he has a daughter now."

Natara couldn't help but grin. "Kai? A father? That's pretty tough to grasp."

"It is. I can't believe it either."

"He'll do fine, though," Natara reassured her close friend. "You'll both do fine."

A few long moments passed. Amy and Natara both observed Katherine sleeping quietly in her crib; she'd regained composure and settled down for a mid-afternoon nap. She looked like a slight mixture between her parents; mainly possessing Kai's features. She had his round, curious eyes and chocolate-brown hair. And his lips. His round, full lips that were perfect for whining (as Mal would say).

"Natara," Amy suddenly spoke out all of a sudden. "Will you be Kate's godmother?"

It took a long moment for Natara to register the proposal she'd been given. She didn't know why she did it. She couldn't figure out why she moved her lips. She never put her finger on why she said yes.

"Yes. Yes, I'll be Kate's godmother."

"And…do you think that Mal could be her godfather?"

"Yes. I'm sure he will be." Natara couldn't stop it. She couldn't stop agreeing to everything Amy was asking. Maybe it was because she needed help with her baby. Maybe it was because motherhood was so new to her.

_Or maybe,_ Natara thought, _maybe it's because that's just what true friends do._


	2. Chapter 1

**Onto the next chapter. Hope you're liking this so far, 'cause I'm going to update more of it, even though I have a gajillion other stories to upload. Also, I spent the whole afternoon watching **_**A Goofy Movie **_**and I have the songs stuck in my head, blah. I may make a reference to Goofy and his son, Max, in the next few chapters. Maybeee. I hope you guys have seen that movie. It's on YouTube (hasn't been removed yet because of copyright!) so…watch it! Just a bit of advice. It's a cute movie.**

**Anyway, I'm gonna be cool and post a disclaimer. And you're gonna be cool and review, right? **

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Cause of Death, and that sucks for me. Don't use Kate, though! She's my little creation.**

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><p>Mid December was always a drag for Natara, no matter how good the year was going. It never snowed in San Francisco, unlike Quantico, which was different—and frankly, Natara didn't think she'd ever get used to it.<p>

So to bypass the chilly, dry atmosphere, she soaked in a nice, hot bathtub filled to the brim with fruity soaps and bath salts. It was something she enjoyed doing from time to time in the winter, whether in Virginia or California. She stretched her legs out over the edge of the tub and glanced at the pomegranate-colored nail polish on her toenails that began to chip from the soap.

The silence and relaxation was interrupted by the sudden ringing of Natara's cell phone. She leaned over and reached for the vibrating thing on the counter, placing it to her ear, not getting a chance to see the caller ID.

"Special Agent Natara Williams speaking. How can I help you?"

"Nat!"

She recognized that voice from anywhere.

"Mal?"

"Yeah, it's me! Who'd you think it was, Ben Stiller?"

Natara swallowed hard. "Mal, something's up. What's wrong?" Because Mal was just that predictable.

"Can…you come to the precinct? Now?" His voice showed a strong tone of worry and anxiousness.

"Why?" Natara spoke in a loud whisper. She didn't know why—she was alone in the house—but she did it anyway. "Mal, what's going on?"

She heard him sigh from the other line. "I don't know. Captain left an urgent message on my phone a few minutes ago. She said to get down to the precinct _now_. Something bad's happened, Nat, but I don't know what."

Natara couldn't bring herself to a logical, rational explanation. She swallowed hard and heard Mal sigh on the other line. "Do you think it could be a new case she needs us to work on?"

Mal knew that couldn't be right. "We're already working on the Benson case, and we've had some strong leads. Captain wouldn't let us abandon that now."

He heard water sloshing around on the other line as Natara got out of the bathtub. "Nat?" he spoke in a loud, raspy whisper, to find that his throat felt the slightest bit sore.

"Yeah?"

"Do you want me to pick you up?" he asked gently.

She swallowed hard and bit her lower lip. "Yeah. I don't know what could be wrong."

Mal sighed again. "To be honest, Captain sounded like she was in tears on the message. That's something I've never witnessed or heard before."

"Mal, just…" Natara's voice faded into a small whisper. "Just come pick me up. I'm sure everything's fine."

"Well…alright. See you in ten?"

"Sounds good."

Natara frantically turned off the water and wrapped a large towel around her tightly to remove all of the remaining soap suds. She ran a comb through her thick, wet brown hair that fell midway down her back. It had been growing for a few years now, and Natara figured she'd get it cut sooner or later.

But her mind wasn't focused on that right now. It was focused on throwing a pair of skinny jeans and a Beatles t-shirt on and sliding into her loafers. It was focused on gathering her dripping-wet hair into a messy bun. It was focused on Captain Yeong's message.

She knew things weren't alright. Something happened; good or bad. When you work at the San Francisco Police Department, though, things tend to drift over the bad side more often than the good side. So Natara couldn't help but feel a knot growing in her stomach as she grabbed her purse and an umbrella to wait outside for Mal.

Rain came down in sheets as she stepped outside, popping her black umbrella open outside the apartment lobby. Natara allowed the rain to engulf her for a moment, but smiled when she saw Mal's car pull up a few moments later. He noticed her shivering and draped his coat over her shoulders.

"Nat, you really shouldn't step outside like that. Didn't you know it was raining?" he teased.

"Mal!" she sighed and slid in the car. Then she looked into his cool, collected blue eyes and sighed. "I don't have a good feeling about this."

He shrugged and stuck his keys into the ignition, leaning back and taking a deep whiff of his car. "Something smells good."

Natara smiled and placed her wrist in front of his nose. She'd scrubbed it with sweet pea bath soap earlier. "Is it this?"

He laughed. "Yep. You smell like a woman."

She tilted back her head and let out a fresh giggle. "Do I smell like a _clean _woman?"

Mal swallowed hard. "Well…I may have to think about that one."

"_Mal!" _Natara laughed and whacked him with her wallet. "I just took a bath."

"TMI, Natara."

The rest of the car ride was passed in a seemingly endless bliss until Mal instinctively pulled up in front of the precinct. Natara began to take off his coat to return, but he held his hand up in objection, so she kept it on and walked inside the bullpen.

No one.

Unknowingly, Mal wrapped his hand around Natara's for comfort. He recognized what he was doing and began to pull it away, unable to hide a blush that spread up his cheeks. Natara shook her head and held on tightly, though. She didn't want to let go.

She would need every bit of comfort in a few minutes.

It all started with the sound of an ambulance toward the back of the precinct. Natara felt the color drain from her face. She pulled Mal's arm and they both charged down the long corridor and in the direction of the blaring sirens.

And after what seemed like hours of running, they came face-to-face with two paramedics near the crime lab. Captain Yeong stood worriedly by the end of the hall, appearing faint and weak. Crowds of officers working nighttime shifts assembled themselves in a small circle-like throng to catch a glimpse at the large disturbance.

Natara pushed her way in front of everyone, trying to fight back the urge to let her Ramen noodle dinner make its reappearance. The hushed whispers that said: "A poisonous gas explosion…" and "Did they survive?" rang out through her ears.

Time slowed to a crawl as Natara approached the two lifeless bodies that lay on the tiled floors.

Amy's face was a ghostly pale, and her veins were evident through her cold skin. Kai lay next to her, his left arm wrapped around her waist and his right cradling her head. He too was white as a sheet and deathly still, which seemed so unlike him. Both slept peacefully under the low ceiling, odd purple bruises covering their bodies.

Natara could feel hot blood rushing in her ears.

Captain Yeong approached her and squeezed her hand. "I'm sorry, Natara, I'm so sorry…by the time one of my officers found out that corrosives had leaked in the lab, Amy and Kai had already inhaled too much of it…the acid just…" she broke off into tears; something she never seemed to have done before.

Through the loud talking of the officers discussing the incident, Natara could feel Mal placing his hand on hers as she tried to rake in all the information that had just been told to her.

She couldn't.

Before long, Natara found herself shouting out someone's name. She wasn't aware of it at first, but when the whole precinct quieted down, her own voice rung in her ears.

"Kate! _Kate!"_


	3. Chapter 2

**Writing this chapter kinda made me want to cry. We'll be seeing more of Kate and her cute babyness in the next one...but I felt like I had to write this one to show how Mal and Natara handled the beginning of their colleagues' deaths. Well, in this story, Amy, Kai, Mal, and Natara are more than colleagues-they were good friends, even though they didn't get along all the time. **

**Anyway, please review? Reviews and comments usually help me update quicker.**

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><p>The following day was filled with many tears. Natara was given a day off, which mainly consisted of her mourning the death of two of her close colleagues. Mal called her a few times (he had been given a day off as well), but Natara didn't feel like talking. Her throat was sore and her nose was stuffed up from crying all day.<p>

At around dinnertime, she sat at the dining room table with her hands resting around a hot cup of herbal tea. She inhaled the scent of the sweet tea leaves, which helped a little with the congestion in her nose. Nothing she did seemed to help with the pain in her heart, though.

Amy and Kai were so young. They had a daughter that was so young. Their family was so young. They had years left to spend with Kate, yet it all came crashing down yesterday when corrosives erupted in the lab. They were very toxic, and it only took a few seconds for the poison to settle in Amy and Kai's bodies.

Natara felt more tears beginning to slide down her cheeks as she knocked her cup of tea off the side of the table in anger. The hot drink spilled all over and pieces of broken porcelain scattered onto the tiled floor. Natara didn't care; she went off to the living room and sat on the couch, curling her knees up to her neck.

A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts a few moments later.

Natara swallowed hard and wiped tears off of her cheeks._ No more crying, _she thought and made her way to the door. As she wrapped her hand upon the doorknob, she took a deep and painful breath and opened the door to find a familiar face standing there.

"Mal!" Natara burst out and tackled him into a ferocious hug, burying her face in his jacket as she cried. She felt his arms wrapping around her waist as he deepened the comforting embrace. He smelled like soap and coffee, a scent that Natara tried to figure out multiple times in the past.

_"Shhh..."_ he whispered into her ear and held her close. "It's ok...it's ok..."

Natara took deep breaths between her sobs and eventually calmed down long enough to pull away from the tight hug to look at her partner. He looked as he usually did, but his hair was slightly tussled in the back and his cheeks were tearstained.

"Are you alright now?" Mal asked Natara as she took one last deep sigh.

She responded with a quick nod. "Yeah."

Mal took her hand and helped her onto the couch; she was still shaky and a bit unsettled. He sat down next to her and let her rest her head on his shoulder.

After a few moments of stillness and quiet, Natara broke the silence. "I miss them, Mal."

He nodded. "Me too. I never thought I'd see the day when I would miss Kai."

Natara lifted her head from Mal's shoulder and looked into his eyes to see a few tears escaping them. She sighed and used her thumb to wipe them off for him.

Mal squeezed her hand. "Have you thought of what we're going to do about Kate?"

The thought really hadn't crossed Natara's mind all day. But she knew what they had to do. "We're going to take care of her. We have to-we're her godparents."

Mal agreed. "Tomorrow we need to sort out everything out and get Kate; I imagine she's in foster care right now."

Natara nodded and let out a long sigh. "How are we going to do it, Mal? Should we just trade off who's going to take care of Kate every month?"

Mal thought about this for a minute. "I don't think it'll work. You and I both work the same shifts; we're partners. Who's going to take care of her then?"

"Easy," Natara confidently spoke. "We can put her in day care. She's six months old now; she's old enough to go to one."

Mal didn't like this idea one bit. "It doesn't feel right, Natara," he shook his head. "I wouldn't want my daughter in day care all day. Amy and Kai never enrolled Kate in one; they just worked separate shifts so they could take care of her."

Natara swallowed hard. "Are you saying that we have to move in together to take care of Kate?"

Mal shrugged. "I'm saying that trading off wouldn't work at all."

Natara could feel anger rising up in her throat as well as sadness. "Well, what _should_ we do, huh?" she exploded. "Amy and Kai didn't deserve _any_ of this! Why was it _them_ who had to die? Why did they _have_ to die with a daughter so young?"

Natara buried her face in her hands and cried. She didn't know why she was so worked up over her colleagues' death.

_That's right,_ she told herself. _Because Amy was my best friend in San Francisco besides Mal. And Kai was her loving husband._

She felt Mal comfortingly place his hand on her shoulder. "Nat," he sighed. "It's okay. Everything's going to be okay..."

Natara raised her head up from her hands once more, meeting Mal's warm gaze for a long moment. She couldn't help but let out a small grin. "You promise?"

Mal nodded and smiled, tears streaming down his face. "I promise."

Another extremely long moment passed, but the silence was broken by Mal after a few minutes. "I hate seeing you so sad," he confessed quietly.

Natara swallowed hard. "Yeah, well...this is just like when Diane died."

"Diane?" Mal wondered aloud.

"Diane McAusten," Natara finished her thought. "She was my best friend in college. We did everything together."

Mal sat back and held his partner's hand as she continued her story.

"One day, she went to the bar to get a drink," Natara struggled to keep back tears. "She never came back. She was murdered outside the bar by a drunk man."

Another long silence passed. Mal leaned in and gave his partner a long, warm hug as tears slid down her cheeks, wetting his jacket. "Is she the friend that made you want to become a part of the FBI?"

He felt Natara nod through the thin material of his jacket.

"I'm sorry, Nat," Mal broke the silence with a small whisper.

"It's ok," Natara sighed, brushing tears off her cheeks. "What's important right now is that we figure out something for Kate."

Mal swallowed hard and gently ruffled her hair. "You're right," he sighed.

Natara leaned back and rested her head upon his shoulder once more. He sadly smiled and took off his jacket, draping it over her shivering shoulders as she slowly shut her eyes.

"...That's the most important thing," Mal whispered into his partner's ear as she smiled and snuggled up close to him, falling asleep.


	4. Chapter 3

**Yay, an update! Review please! Sorry for the short chapter, I've been sick this week and my writing is kinda sparse. BUT the good news is I'm reintroducing the adorable, cheeky Katherine Elise Kalaba in the next chapter! **

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Cause of Death. –sniffle-**

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><p>Natara squeezed the phone even tighter, swallowing hard to keep from uttering awful words at the person on the other line. "Yes, we'll be by to pick her up tomorrow…<em>yes, <em>we've signed the papers already. Thank you."

From across the room, Mal took a bite of Frosted Flakes and shook his head in dismay. "Is Child Protection Services giving you trouble?"

Groaning, Natara whirled around to face her partner. "Like hell. They want to _interview _us before we can gain custody of Kate. Do they not think we can be good parents?"

"Parents." Mal let the word roll around on his tongue as he tossed his half-eaten cereal bowl into the sink. He had suddenly lost his appetite.

Natara stepped into the refrigerator and pulled out two eggs. "Want me to make you an omelet?" she turned around and asked him. He replied with a small shake of his head.

"No thanks. I'm not really hungry."

Shrugging, Natara turned on the stove to prepare her own meal. She had been cooking quietly for no more than two minutes before Mal broke the silence.

"Are we…gonna move in together?"

This question made Natara stop in her tracks. She turned around to face him and nervously tucked a few strands of her ebony hair behind her hair. After what seemed like a long moment, she cleared her throat and came up with a reply. "Maybe."

Mal frowned. "We have to work."

Natara chewed her lip. "I know."

"So we can't leave Kate in a day care," he pointed out. "Which means having her alternate houses from month to month isn't going to work."

His partner sighed. "What exactly are we going to accomplish by moving in together?"

"At least one of us could stay with Kate at home while the other is at work," Mal suggested. "We need to have a plan worked out. I don't see any other way that this could function properly."

Natara let out a deep breath in defeat. "Whose apartment?"

After thinking for a few minutes, Mal knew the answer. "Mine. It's closer to the hospital and San Francisco Elementary school."

He had a point. "Alright," Natara sighed and tucked her hair behind her ear again. Mal couldn't hide a small smile when she did this.

A few more long moments passed, and this time, the silence wasn't broken until the sickening scent of smoke filled Natara's nostrils. She quickly turned around to find a burned omelet frying and hissing on the stove.

"Dammit!" the words escaped freely from her mouth as she yanked the pan from the burned stove plate.

Mal couldn't keep back a laugh. "Nice job, Nat."

She turned around and scowled. "I'd like to see _you _try to make a perfect omelet."

"I could do it."

"Then do it! Make me the best omelet!" Natara exasperatedly slumped down into a chair near the table.

Mal lowered his voice to a mocking whisper. "I said I _could _do it. I never said I _would _do it."

He received a small whack from Natara on his shoulder. "Mal," she sighed afterwards, tugging a lock of her hair in frustration. "…you're a jerk."

Mal couldn't help but smile. "Thank you."

After seeing the positive grin on his face, Natara couldn't help but return one. She sighed and sat down, her smile turning into a frown.

"Something wrong?" her partner questioned.

Natara sighed and shrugged, rubbing her temples with her fingers to prevent a migraine. "I'm just…a bit worried for when we gain custody of Kate. I've never been a mom before."

"I can tell," Mal remarked. "You still have a nice body."

Resisting the urge to smack him with a nearby newspaper, Natara simply sighed. "This isn't going to be easy," she confessed, and was a bit surprised when Mal returned a nod.

"You're right," he looked into his half-empty coffee cup and stared blankly at the dark coffee sitting inside.

A long moment passed, and Natara broke the silence by standing up. "Well, anyway…we have to get ready."

"Ready?" Mal held his coffee mug tightly, allowing the warmth to provide comfort to his hands. "We don't have work today. What do we need to get ready for?"

Natara rolled her eyes. "The baby, Mal. Sometimes I don't know why you ever passed grade school."

Mal shrugged. "Well, if a C counts as passing, I did it." He looked into Natara's hazel eyes, taking in her annoyed expression. Her arms were crossed and her brow was furrowed—just like she always looked when she wasn't amused with something he said. She looked beautiful like that, Mal decided. Even when she wasn't showing off her radiant smile, she was perfect.

He jokingly walked up to her and placed his hand on her belly, rubbing it in slow circles. "You're right, sweetie," he tried not to laugh. "We _should _get ready for the baby."

"_Mal!"_


	5. Chapter 4

**I've gotta say, I think this is my favorite story to write, besides **_**Step by Step.**_**That one was so much fun to plan out.**

**I know I'm already pretty bad about updating things quickly...but to be honest, I think it may get a little worse. See, I have two giant auditions for my viola (the instrument I play)-one for mastery orchestra in high school and the other for my district's honor orchestra. The auditions are at the end of March, and I'm preparing by practicing hour after hour. (It gets dull, trust me.) Anyway, I apologize if my writing is sparse until then. If I can update, the chapter may be a little short.**

**However, onto a brighter note-I now have come out of my giant phase of writers block for the end of the new chapter for **_**You're My Paradise. **_**So, readers...it won't be long at all until it's up. I just need to find time to write it in between practicing for the auditions. Again, I'm really sorry about that.**

**Ok, I normally don't do this, but I'm going to reply to some reviews.**

_**SVUproductions: **_**Hahaha! Well, I AM updating right now, so...enjoy!**

_**But I Have Promises to Keep: **_**Heehee! Thank you! That part was fun to write.**

_**Willow and Cotton: **_**Thanks, girlie!**

_**CauseOfDeathIsGreat: **_**Thank you so much!**

_**Jamzie13: **_**That was my favorite part to write! Oh, Mal...**

_**Champagne Showers: **_**Why, thank you! I hope you'll enjoy the rest of the story.**

_**KokoKookieKreme: **_**Thanks a billion! Heehee, I enjoy fluff as well.**

_**Mozzi-girl: **_**D'awww, thanks Molly. Your reviews make my day! Seriously!**

**Well, that's about it. Enjoy this chapter! And...review...pleeeeaassseeeeee? Also, if any of you have suggestions about what I can make cuddly Kate do, go ahead and drop me a PM or a review! Thank you in advance!**

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><p>Mal felt his inner walls come crumbling down as an enthusiastic worker placed a small load into his arms-one that held a tiny, six-month old girl. He swallowed hard and looked into her large, coffee-colored brown eyes. She teethed on her lower lip and blinked a few times before reaching out to grab a fistful of Natara's flowing hair.<p>

Smiling from ear to ear, Natara soothingly placed her hand on the child's cheek and stroked it gently as Kate made a small cooing noise of affection.

"All you need is to sign the forms and she's yours," the worker, whose name tag read _Jamie Clearance,_ abruptly commented.

Natara nodded and tried to fight back a smile as she saw Kate gently kicking at Mal's arms. She leaned over and grabbed a fountain pen from the container on Jamie's desk and quickly scribbled her name onto the forms. Mal did the same, struggling to keep Kate into one arm as he signed with the other.

"Well, that's about it," Jamie brushed both of her hands together. "Tomorrow, Child Protective Services is going to quickly inspect your house. Hopefully they'll never have to come back…" she narrowed her eyes and raised an eyebrow.

Mal cleared his throat. "Uh, thanks for your time, Ms. Clearance," he piped in and tightened his grip onto the baby as to make sure she wouldn't fall. "And, um…have a nice day."

Jamie put on a fake smile. "No problem, Mr. Fallon and Ms. Williams. Have a wonderful afternoon!"

The walk to the parking lot was silent, other than Kate's babbling tongue noises, as Natara held the baby carrier. She stopped abruptly before walking into Mal's car.

"Something wrong?" he placed his hand on her shoulder.

Natara swallowed hard. "Nah. Let's just get situated at the apartment. I have to run a few errands with Kate," she narrowed her eyes, "because you don't have any healthy food in your fridge."

Mal frowned. "I _do _have healthy food! I have chocolate. Chocolate's made out of cocoa beans…which grow out of trees. Therefore, they're healthy. Things that grow from trees are healthy."

Natara simply rolled her eyes and helped Kate into her car seat. "Here, Mal," she called out. "I'll sit back here with her while you drive. Jamie said she's going to teethe for a bit, so I brought some crackers for her."

Mal shrugged and drove to his apartment slower than usual. Kate was calm and quiet as she nibbled on her crackers and gently shook the rattle that Natara bought for her. She giggled when she heard the noise it made, which made Mal tug a smile at the corners of his lips. Something about this baby reminded her of Kai…no, she wasn't attracted to hot girls…she was just bubbly. She didn't even know what was going on, though. She didn't know her parents were dead. She just went with the flow.

"Something on your mind, Mal?" Natara questioned him as she played _This Little Piggy _with Kate's toes.

"Nothing much," he covered up and drove into the parking deck of his apartment, helping Kate and Natara out of the car when they were parked.

Kate babbled on as Mal held her. She reached out to grab a fistful of his hair but couldn't quite reach the top of his head. So she stuck out her lip and uttered: _"Dada."_

Natara stopped in her tracks as silence overcame the three of them. Mal covered up his angst with a smile and rocked her back and forth.

"_Mal," _he corrected her softly. "My name is Mal."

Natara nervously chewed on her lip, walked inside the apartment, and silently began to jot down a list of groceries she needed to pick up. Mal brought Kate inside.

"I think they changed her diaper before she got here," he commented, "because she smells like a mix of soap and baby powder."

"Well, that's good," Natara remarked. "Here, set her on the couch with her rattle. That'll keep her occupied for the next few minutes. I'm taking her to the grocery store with me later."

Mal shrugged. "Alright," he sighed and placed her down. Kate reached out to him and gently smacked his face with her small hand. He couldn't help but laugh and whisper into her ear:

"Your daddy woulda been proud to see you slap me. Believe me, there were some times he wished he could have pounded me for dissing his comics or Sims games."

Kate simply teetered back and forth, an innocent smile etched on her tiny lips.

"Well…" Mal got back up and stood at Natara's side. "Do you need any help planning stuff out?"

She smiled politely and shook her head. "Nah," she sighed. "I just need to buy some more diapers. I only have a few that Blaise lent me that were left over from her sister's baby boy."

Mal grinned. "Poor Kate," he gently teased. "Boy diapers are no fun."

Natara shrugged. "Hey, it's not my fault we got Kate on such short notice."

"Sure, Nat…" he laughed, but paused after a moment. "Oh, and don't forget to add Samuel Adams beer on the list, ok? I can't live without that stuff."

Natara nodded. "Point taken," she remarked and set her pen down. "All right, I'm going to take a shower before we head out. Care to watch over Kate while I'm gone?"

"Sure." Mal walked over to the cuddly baby and set her onto his lap as he sat down on the floor. "See? I'll make a great dad." Kate smiled and patted Mal's cheeks with her hands.

Natara giggled and pulled out her phone, snapping a quick picture. "You both look so cute like that."

"Why, thank you," Mal returned a grin. "I suppose Kate will grow some more of my Fallon charm in a few weeks."

His partner rolled her eyes, unable to stop a smile. "You wish, Mal. You _wish." _

He watched as she walked into the shower and turned back to Kate, lowering his voice to a whisper. "Hey," he suggested. "Let's watch some _Criminal Minds_ before Nat comes out, ok?"

Kate simply blew saliva bubbles with her tongue on her lips as Mal turned the TV on. He scrolled through numerous channels, but she didn't show a care for any of them, until he passed the one that was playing _Sesame Street._

She uttered excited noises with her lips and clapped her hands happily.

Mal groaned. "Kate, c'mon…_Criminal Minds _is a lot better than this." He changed the channel. A few seconds later, a screeching noise escaped from the baby's mouth as she erupted into sobs.

"_Nhhh…" _he covered his ears as Kate cried. "I didn't know babies could be _this _loud…augh, Kate, _please _stop crying…"

She didn't acknowledge his plead. Mal reluctantly changed the channel back to _Sesame Street, _and the sobs stopped as the cheeky smile returned to Kate's face. He let out a pout and stared deep into the baby's eyes.

"You remind me so much of Kai; I swear to God...you even _look _like him."

A few seconds later, he looked onto the screen to see Elmo and Big Bird doing a silly dance about fruits and vegetables. Kate fell head over heels for this as she giggled with delight. Mal simply pouted and began to develop a hatred for this show.

"_C'mon, Elmo!" _Big Bird waved his giant wing and danced around on one foot. _"Let's sing it again! A is for apple, B is for banana, C is for celery, D is for…"_

"…dumbass show," Mal remarked and grinned at his own joke. Kate squealed and wore a large smile as the catchy tune continued.

He looked at her once more and sighed. Never in a million years could he picture himself to be raising the offspring of Amy, and more importantly…_Kai. _Just a week ago, they were alive. They were healthy. They were raising their own daughter.

But now…things were different. Very different. Cute and cheeky as Kate may be, she would still be a lot of work to raise and take care of. Mal and Natara still had jobs to work. They had a household to run, and bills to pay.

From now on, Mal decided, days would be tough as well as cherished. In order to have everything working efficiently, he and Natara would only have time to focus on the most important things.

Mal's thought's were interrupted by Kate's giggles as she kept her eyes glued to the television. He sighed and set her onto his lap, holding her close as she trained her eyes on the show. For a nearly seven-month-old child, she was active.

_Maybe this won't be so hard, _he thought as Kate snuggled close into his arms. She attempted to get up and walk, but fell down on her bottom and back into his lap.

He grinned and planted a quick kiss onto her cheek.

_Whoever said fatherhood couldn't be enjoyable was obviously wrong._

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><p><strong>*sticks out lip like adorable Kate would* Please review!<strong>_  
><em>


	6. Chapter 5

**Here's the update, as promised! Tell me if ya like it, tell me if ya hate it, tell me whatever you want—just review!**

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Cause of Death, blah, blah, blah…but alas, Kate is my creation.

**Chapter Title: **"A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words"

**Warnings: **None, really. I mean it. Just a tiny bit of angst.

**Pairings: **Kai/Amy (*sniffle*), implied Maltara (ish…just a wee bit of fluff in the beginning.)

**Word count: **593 (Sorry for the shortness…the next chapter is longer!)

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><p>"Mal, you made me get paint on my hands," Natara furrowed her brow as she steadied her balance, reaching down to place her used paintbrush in a nearby tin can.<p>

Mal couldn't stop a grin. "Natara, I caught you red-handed," he teased as he motioned to the globs of crimson paint resting in her palms.

Natara wasn't amused. "Just get me a paper towel, okay?" she groaned desperately as Kate happily sat in her crib, watching _Thomas the Train_.

Shrugging, Mal grabbed his partner a roll of paper towels as she aggressively began to wipe her paint-filled hands. "I told you it was a good idea to paint hearts on the walls for Kate's room," he jokingly remarked. "Now the place looks more baby girl-ish."

Natara looked at the work she and Mal had done and had to agree. "We actually did a good job," she grinned. "I think Kate likes it, too."

Mal picked the baby girl up. "How 'bout it, Kate? Do you like your new room?"

She replied with a few squeals and tongue-babbles.

"I'll take that as a yes," Natara grinned and kissed Kate's cheek. "I'm glad she was playing outside the room until now. This paint smell is…ugh, disgusting," she made a face. "I'm going to take a shower."

Mal nodded. "Sure," he got down from the small ladder he was standing on. "I'll finish getting Kate's room decorations in here."

"Thanks," Natara strolled out of the room, leaving Mal to get the small decorations that were sitting in the living room. He carried them back to where Kate was watching the television happily.

"Ugh," he groaned. "Natara was right. This paint smell is giving me a headache," he looked at Kate and frowned, "which means I should get you out of here, too."

Mal picked her up and carried her back to the living room, where she began to fish around through the rest of the decorations, pulling out small toys and socks.

"Hey," Mal groaned. "Don't play with those. They're…" he paused when Kate took out a photograph of Kai, Amy, and her. She stared at it for a minute and her face lit up into a grin. She happily clung onto it and waved it around excitedly.

Mal sighed. "…you can keep that," he sat down next to her. "It's yours, anyway."

Kate simply gargled and grinned, holding the photo as if it were the most valuable thing in the world, even though she was unaware what it meant or what it signified.

Mal stared at the photograph as an awful feeling formed in the pit of his stomach. He looked back and forth to his colleagues' faces, and then down to baby Kate's. _She looks just like Kai, _Mal thought. _They're almost a perfect match, except Kate's face is more feminine and she has Amy's smile. _

He blinked and his thoughts suddenly vanished. He was back in the living room with Kate, who began to look for more decorations. She pulled out a stuffed giraffe this time. It had glasses and a lab coat, which made her giggle as she tried to yank the glasses off.

"I think it's time for lunch now," Mal pulled her away from the giraffe, who would have been headless if he hadn't have done so. Kate obediently rested in Mal's arms as he prepared her food in the kitchen, unaware that Natara had come out of the shower now and was sadly staring at the photo of Kai and Amy that had been left on the ground.

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><p><strong>Jara has won the new penname contest! A oneshot for her will be coming soon, woo! My penname shall be changed as soon as I post this. <strong>


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